Looking for an easy to prepare, secretly healthy cake for your celebration table this year? Look no further my friend, this Gingerbread Cheesecake is here to get the party started!
A pecan buckwheat base that tastes just like crunchy gingerbread, topped with a deliciously rich and creamy vanilla filling with all the spices of the season. I’m obsessed with everything gingerbread at the moment so I had to add all those warming flavours to a festive centrepiece. When ready to serve I decorated mine with figs, black grapes, pecans and cacao nibs for a little seasonal sparkle.
I love to have a special dessert on my dinner table at this time of year, but don’t want to spend hours preparing it. This cheesecake is ideal to make ahead of an evening with friends – you can prepare it up to a week in advance, pop it in the freezer to set and simply top with fresh fruit and nuts before serving.
It also comes together in a food processor, meaning minimal mess and effort, no bowls or scales required – perfect for a busy day prepping for a dinner party, or those days when you just need more time to relax and put your feet up.
This cheesecake is no bake, gluten free and vegan of course! Pretty amazing for dessert, right? The flavours are super flexible too, so feel free to omit the spices for a creamy vanilla version. I’m always making no bake desserts for guests because unlike regular cake, if there are any leftovers you can simply pop it back into the freezer. It tastes great for a mid afternoon snack with a cup of hot chai tea, I’ve been having many impromptu afternoon teas while testing this recipe!
I added a couple of teaspoons of WelleCo Super Elixir to the gingebread base. I love incorporating this into my desserts as it has a naturally sweet flavour and packs in a load of alkalising ingredients into every spoonful (45 premium wholefoods). A perfect partner for an evening with fizz or cocktails.
I try to pay a little more attention to my nutrition at this time of year, as it can be so easy to over indulge. Sneaking goodies into a dessert is always welcome. If you don’t have the Super Elixir, you could add maca, carob or cacao powder for an alternative nutritional boost, or simply add 2 tsp more of pecans to the recipe.
If you’re haven’t tried making desserts with cashews before, I urge you to give it a go. Something amazing happens when you soak cashews overnight. Once blended, they produce such a rich, creamy texture without being overpowering in flavour, making them the perfect nut to combine with other flavours. I added cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and all spice to the filling and sweetened it with maple syrup, my favourite natural sweetener. If you don’t have maple syrup feel free to sub for any other liquid sweetener such as agave or brown rice syrup.
This cheesecake is frozen to set, but best eaten when almost completely thawed out for the ultimate texture. I like to let mine sit at room temperature for around an hour before serving, but I have a cold house, so you may want to check it after thirty minutes. When a knife slices through it, it’s good to go. You can also keep it in the fridge for a few hours, as the coconut oil helps to keep it firm.
Have you got a favourite dessert at this time of year? What will be on your dinner table? Let me know below!
If you try this gingerbread cheesecake please leave me a comment below, or take a pic and upload it to Instagram so I can see your recreations!
Seasons greetings xoxoxo
This post is sponsored by WelleCo – all opinions are my own.
- 1 cup pecan nuts
- 1 cup buckwheat
- 2 tsp WelleCo Super Elixir
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp all spice
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp molasses
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2.5 cups cashews, soaked overnight in cold water
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp all spice
- 1 tsp ginger
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup black grapes
- 2 figs
- A few pecans and cacao nibs
- Line the bottom of a 20cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Prepare crust by adding pecans and buckwheat to a food processor and grinding to a fine crumb. Add in all remaining ingredients until it forms a sticky dough. Press into lined cake tin evenly and set aside in the fridge.
- Prepare filling by rinsing the cashews well in clean water and draining. Add to food processor with all other filling ingredients and blend on high until really smooth and creamy. Depending on the power of your machine, this can take around 10-15 minutes. The mixture should become smooth and pourable. If it's too thick, add ¼ cup of water at a time, but only after blending throughly.
- Pour filling on top of the crust and set aside in the freezer for at least 5 hours, ideally overnight. Take out an hour before serving so it can thaw out to a creamy texture. Top with fresh fruit, pecans and cacao nibs before serving.
So Easy and So Yummy! Harriet, your blog has totally changed my life since my youngster’s diet changed. The recipes are always delightful, healthy and easy–even for me, a momma who is really beginning to relish spending time in the pantry! Thank You and the Happiest of Holidays to you and Dessert….
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment, Sienna! I totally understand, time is always limited with little ones. I’m always looking for easy, healthy recipes for me and little man. I hope you had a wonderful time over the holidays x